Life With A Side Of Autism

Thursday, January 31, 2013

I finally did something I've promised myself I'd do for a few years now. I've been biding my time, waiting for David to get to a point developmentally where I think he can take this on. That, combined with an awesome sale on an electronic keyboard and stand set at Costco, plus a local woman advertising on Facebook for new students has led to tonight:

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Many years ago, I watched someone die from complications due to AIDS. He was a family member, and it was hard. Very, very hard. A few months later, I was invited to take part in a local AIDS walk, along with other family and friends. We arranged for David's name to be added to their list (and if that confuses you, yes, my son is partly named for his uncle) during the memorial reading of the names. We got to the venue bright and early, and the reading of the names was well underway. It actually took a few hours to get through the list, and we had no idea where David's name would fall. We stood and listened for a bit, but before long, the names just seemed like one endless stream - unending, unyielding, unbelievable. First name, last name, move along. Then suddenly, a name was read and my heart skipped a beat.

Monday, January 28, 2013

I got through Anna being sick and me being sick only to find myself boomeranging and getting sicker. According to the doctor, I have bronchitis bordering on the ragged edge of pneumonia, a sinus infection and an ear infection. She prescribed me some stomach-shredding antibiotics and I have dutifully taken them twice a day for four days now.

And I cannot lay down without feeling like I'm drowning, my ribs hurt from coughing, and life is far from grand.

I haven't been this sick in a good, long time and I haven't missed it. Not one bit. The only upside here is that the kids got better, so there's that, at least.

Anyway, sorry I'm boring and whining but I am having a hard time summoning up any kind of brain energy in this state of physical compromise. Here's hoping these antibiotics kick in soon and this gunk gets gone from my lungs. Hopefully, I'll have something more interesting to tell you tomorrow.

Monday, January 21, 2013

I was picking up laundry from my daughter's floor the other night - she was at her Dad's house for the weekend, and I was doing my usual deep clean of the house. Lord knows I can't seem to get any cleaning accomplished when she and her brother are around, so my kid-free weekends are my time for catching up.

So there I was, picking through and picking up things off her floor and I did what any Mom would probably do.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

We begin where we left off last week, with Belle laying on the road, shot (and healed quickly by Rumple) and having lost all her memory for crossing the town line. Hook is banged up on the side of the road, but still manages to greet Emma with "Hey Beautiful."

*Swoon*

The stranger in the car is a man, he's unconscious, and he's pretty messed up.

"Looks like the world just came to Storybrooke," Emma remarks.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, we see Dr. Whale, drinking alone when the ambulance arrives. This sends us in a flashback to (yawn) the world of black and white, where Whale is known by his other name: Frankenstein.

We see that Victor (Frankenstein's first name) is being pressured to join the military by his father, who doesn't give a crap if he'd rather study medicine. He refuses to fund anymore of Victor's research.

Victor's brother Gerhardt (whom he's obviously close with) is on his side, but Victor needs to find a way to get the necessary funds to keep his work afloat.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

My son and I have a silly game we play. My hands have somehow become his children. Seriously.

It all started when we were in the waiting room at the Dentist's office, and I was trying to keep him busy by making my hand talk to him in a high, silly voice, which he loved. That morphed to the other hand as well over the course of the following days. Then he ended up naming them - Jeffrey and Audrey - and they became brother and sister and of course, they fight and they misbehave and they do silly things all the time.

Monday, January 14, 2013

It all began with David. Dear, sweet, unassuming David. He sniffled. Then he sneezed. Then he coughed. Then he wheezed.

I quickly moved into plague mode, dosing him with Sudafed by day and Children's Nyquil at night. I hooked up the vaporizer in his room for the overnight, bought the Vicks Vapo-Steam and checked him for fever on a daily basis. Finally, the congestion began to wane.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Tonight we begin at the Storybrooke town line, where Mr. Gold is unloading Mr. Smee from his trunk and forcing him across, despite Smee's protestations.

Lo and behold, Smee retains his memories, thanks to a magic potion Gold has poured on Smee's beloved hat. It turns out that if the potion is put on something of great sentimental value, it helps you retain your memories after crossing the town line.

He releases Smee, with a smug smile as he says, "I have a trip to plan."

Then we move over to the cemetery, where Snow is officiating at Archie's faux-funeral, and doing a beautiful job, I might add, reminding everyone that Archie's spirit will remain as a conscience for everyone.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

It was a typical weekday night and as usual, David and I were struggling to get through his Math homework. Lucky for us, this lesson was fairly easy, and with several piles of Smarties lined up, he was able to get through basic single-digit multiplication and understand how three piles of three equals three times three which equals nine and not six because it's "times" and not "plusses". Once that fact took tenative root, it was repetition, repetition, repetition.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

We begin this episode the way I like to begin an episode: with Hook, and he's standing at the mast of his ship (in a tip of the hat to Jack Sparrow's entrance in Pirates of the Caribbean), and he and Cora have just docked in Storybrooke.

Cora points out that magic is now in town and Hook's not going to be able to fight Rumplestiltskin on a fair playing field. She turns the Jolly Roger invisible, and together, they head off to take a tour of the town.

And on that note, we move to the loft apartment, and we're in bed with the naked Charmings who are making out and making up for lost time.

Emma walks in and does an awkward double take as Henry asks "What are you guys still doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon."

Emma (who is obviously uncomfortable catching Mom and Dad in flagrante delicto ushers Henry off to the kitchen so they can make tacos for the big shindig at Granny's tonight.

David quips, "It's impressive that we can still provide her a few traumatic memories at this stage of the game." As Snow blushes beautifully.